thrashing

noun

thrash·​ing ˈthra-shiŋ 

plural thrashings

1

: a severe beating or flogging

If a poacher was taken he was given a thrashing as well as being prosecuted with its consequent jail sentence.

—W. Mostyn Thomas

"They called her a little blue ragamuffin, father," said Harry, who ran in looking very angry. "But I have given it to them. They won't insult my sister again. I have given them a thrashing they will remember."

—Anna Sewell

2

: a dominating defeat of an opponent

… after going 6-5 on a tough road trip that concluded with 9-2 and 12-4 thrashings of the Giants last weekend, they were 57-41 …

—Phil Taylor

Examples of thrashing in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Here’s a very similar move in the memorable 4-1 thrashing of Bayern. —Michael Cox, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2025

His confidence regarding this type of finish shone through in Arsenal’s 5-1 thrashing of Manchester City a few days later. —Art De Roché, The Athletic, 25 Mar. 2025

The Eagles are 5-0 against fellow 6A Great 8 qualifiers this winter, including a 69-42 thrashing of Legend in December. —Matt Schubert, The Denver Post, 6 Mar. 2025

Sunday, the Suns suffered their most lopsided loss of the season, a 39-point thrashing at the hands of the Houston Rockets. —Bobby Krivitsky, Forbes.com, 31 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1799, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for thrashing

• ashing
• bashing
• caching
• cashing
• clashing
• crashing
• dashing
• flashing
• gnashing
• hashing
• lashing
• mashing